Hello! My name is Lucy Wilson, I am nineteen years old and I have donated blood
fourteen times (and counting), and I never plan to stop. Everytime I say that, people act like it’s
this huge feat, like I worked really hard, or I care so much about “saving lives” or something to
that effect. And, don’t get me wrong, I do care a lot about “saving lives”, but donating blood is
not nearly as time-consuming, tiresome, or (most importantly) scary as people are led to believe
it is.
In America, and in the Midwest region specifically, we have been going through a blood
shortage. Since Covid, hospitals have been dangerously short on blood supply, and have needed
all the help they can get with blood donations, plasma, platelets, and so much more. Every single
whole blood donation goes to saving up to three lives. So, if you add it all up, I’ve technically
saved up to forty-two lives in total. That’s pretty freaking cool! But, I spent such a little amount
of time doing it.
When I sign up for a blood donation, there’s typically (depending on who you donate
with) a questionnaire that you can fill out within the day that you’re giving blood to save time at
your appointment. This questionnaire takes me about ten minutes tops to fill out, and reminds me
that I would need to eat a good meal and get plenty to drink before my appointment. Then, once
I’m at my appointment, it saves the people working so much time so that they can get through
more people. Then, they do some preliminary health checks like blood pressure and temperature-
super easy. Then, it’s my least favorite part. They prick your finger to test your hemoglobin
levels which can be an indicator of low iron in your blood. If your iron is too low, you won’t be
able to donate. This is my least favorite part because, surprisingly, it actually hurts the most. But,
after that, it’s smooth sailing.
They sit you down in a comfy chair and have you squeeze a stress ball to agitate your
veins so they are easier to find and then they put the needle in and start extracting blood. It
sounds super gross, but I promise, it only hurts for a second. I mean, think of how many lives
you’re saving! You have to squeeze your hand every so often to keep the blood pumping out, but
you’re golden at this point! If you start feeling a bit woozy, they immediately take the needle out.
(This has happened to me before and it sucked, but once I drank some juice I was fine, and plus,
the blood you already donated will still go towards helping someone in need). After everything,
they take the needle out, wrap you up with a pretty-colored bandage, and have you sit for 15
minutes to make sure you are good enough to go home, and they even give you a free snack. It’s
as simple as that! And the whole process usually takes under thirty minutes. You can donate
whole blood six times a year (every 56 days), so your schedule won’t be filled up with
appointments either!
So, before you rule out donating blood because you think it’s gross or dangerous. Check
if you’re eligible, and if you are, give it a try! If you hate it, you never have to go back, but if you
can stand it, think about how much good you’re doing in the world if you would just give it a
shot. Take it from me, I thought donating blood would be so scary, but I did it for the first time in
highschool as a way to help with my high school’s student council, and I haven’t looked back. It
feels so good to know that I, myself, am making real change within my community every time I
give blood. And you can too. Donate today!
Lucy Wilson is an Honors junior majoring in Applied Diplomacy, German, and GIS.
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